The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1887-03-11
FRIGHT-BLANOHED.
How His Hair Became White.


"Young man to have white hair7 Yes
that's so. I'm just turning forty, which 4
too young to have it so naturally. How
did it happen? Well, don't mind telling
you, although the experience was pain
full one TO me, and always makes m,
shudder when I think of it.
q was in Boston when was a youns
man-that was about twenty-and
wanted to call upon a friend Of mine who
had an Office in one of the Washington
street blocks. 1t was about six stories
high, and I found that the room l had tc
visit was in the fourth story
." I stepped into the elevator, which
by the way, was not provided with SC
many improvements and safeguards as
at present. A gentleman got on to 20 VI
and 1 followed him. He dexterously
started the thing and soon stopped it one
story higher and stepped out, leaving me
all alone.
Il had never been on one Of them be-
fore, but noticing the manner in which it
was started, gave the wire pull and was
conscious Of being slowly taken upward
One, two stories were passed and 1
caught glance Of the busy clerks in the
Offices, and then 1 reached for the wire to
stop at the next story.
Il gave a slight pull. 1t did not stop:
pulled again still harder, but the speed
only seemed to increase. was now Just
past the fourth floor and rapidly nearing
the fifth. I pulled again, but still the
thing kept on.
Il could hear the ominous rumbling
OF the machinery overhead. Would the
thing never stop, l thought, or was to
to be hurled to death or crushed to
nothing by the deadly cOgs overhead?
"Past the sixth floor I went, and it
commenced to grow darker. The ma
chinery sounded louder, and I could
almost see it from the light that struggled
through the dingy loft window. 1 tried
to cry out but my voice failed me.
Il determined to make one more effort,
and accordingly, reaching out in the
dark, I encountered wire, and yanked
it with force enough it would seem, to
break it. Still upwards I groped further,
and found another, and this time with
both hands pulled for dear life.
Thank heavenl The elevator ceased
its upward motion, and slowly descended.
As it moved down into the light L saw
that had hold of another wire, which I
had overlooked before. I let the elevator
run until the lower floor was reached,
forgetting all else in my desire to get
into the air.
"As l stepped off small boy, who had
seen me 90 up, looked at me in astonish-
ment and exclaimed:
as Say, mister, are you the same man
that went up a few minutes ago?'
L IuOuSnJ II must nave DeGn n ndlI
hour but answered Yes
Ibid you go up to buy wigT he
asked.
"'No,' said 1, 'why?'
"'Cause yer had black hair when yer
started, and now it's white
Il. rushed to a convenient glass and
grabbed my hat from my head. The
boy was right, gentlemen; my hair was
as white as you see it now, turned from
fright in the two short minutes when 1
was in the elevator.
" Fact, gentleman, fact. Ny parents
did not know me when 1 got home, and I
had to show several birth-marks before
1 could convince them that was their
son. Fact, gentlemen"
And the gentlemen looked at him,
wondering whether to call him liar or
very unfortunate man. Boston Globe.
wit and Whisky.
A good story is told OF Kentuckian
who was fond OF fine whisky and always
kept his jug.
He il was who said:
81 never saw any mean whisky. Some
is better, but all is good"
One night, when he had company he
was observed to take out one guest at
time and treat to a choice swig.
When asked about this he said:
'Why, by drinking with them singly
get half of my whisky myself Seer"
-LAtlanta Constitution, -. e